A Kent MP has launched an online petition as part of a campaign to stop plans for the storage of 2,500 tonnes of potentially explosive material at a docks in the county.

Arecelor Mittal Kent Wire has asked Medway Council for permission to store ammonium nitrate at Chatham Docks.

"Send a very clear message to the council and the company involved that we in Gillingham and Rainham do not want to be living with the risk of a deadly explosion on our doorstep," said Gillingham MP Paul Clark.

~ Have your say on the issue on our SpeakOut >>>

Although safe under normal conditions, ammonium nitrate can become volatile if mixed with other chemicals or if it overheats. At Toulouse in France 300 tonnes of the chemical exploded in 2001, killing about 30 people and leaving 500 homes uninhabitable.

Mr Clark said: "Public consultation has been virtually non existent. It leaves people with the feeling that there is something to hide. This is an area where a lot of people live and work."